Green Sea Turtle

Green sea turtles are reptiles. They evolved from ancestors who walked on land and then went back to the sea many million years ago. Turtles are part of a species that are so ancient in standing that they themselves watched dinosaurs become extinct.

Green Sea Turtles are cold blooded, and breathe air. They possess scaly skins and have a hard outer shell like nearly all turtles.

Many land turtles are able to take their heads back into their shells for protection. Sea turtles are unable to do this and their heads will remain out at all times.
The sea turtle has adapted itself to a watery life.

Green Sea Turtle

Their shells have evolved and are lighter in weight than those of their cousins who live on land. They have flippers which help them to move through the water very rapidly. Sea turtles can swim at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour for a reasonable distance.

They swim to the surface every few minutes to take a breath and then dive again, but can remain underwater for as long as two hours without taking a breath when they sleep. Their bodies use oxygen in a very efficient way so that they need less oxygen than other animals.

Additionally their muscles and their blood will store large amounts of oxygen which permits them to stay under the water for a lengthy time span. Smaller turtles or infant or juvenile turtles have not yet developed this and must sleep at the surface.

Behind each sea turtles eye is a salt gland that aids them in ridding their bodies of the salt they take in. They will cry great salt tears which rid their bodies of the extra salt they have taken in from the water.

Green sea turtles are given their names from the color of their body fat, which is green due to the algae they ingest.

While adult green sea turtles eat only herbs and vegetation, the juveniles will also eat meat. Jellyfish is a large part of their diet.

Adult sea turtles can weigh in at about 500 pounds.

The life span of sea turtles is still unknown. Some seem to mature and grow very slowly.

Sometimes, they take from 10 to 50 years before they begin to mate.

Sea turtles live in the ocean for most of their adult lives. Females however must enter land to lay the eggs.

Female Green Sea Turtle

Researchers believe they do this in the same place they were born, sometimes traveling as much as a thousand miles to get there.

Mating is usually in the late spring, when the females enter the beach. They do not mate each year, but come ashore as many as five times to make nests and lay eggs when they do mate.

Green Sea Turtles only nest during the night. The female digs a pit and deposits as many as 100 eggs, which are called a clutch.

The eggs feel very much like leather, as she covers them and buries the pit then returns to the sea. She does not guard the nest or return for her young, which take about two months to hatch.

They must then find their way to the ocean and swim for the next day or two. They do not enter land again for another year or more.

Many hatchlings do not reach the ocean. They are eaten by crabs, birds or sharks as they enter.

Only a very few of those which are born survive the trip to the ocean the first time. Green sea turtles are found throughout the world’s oceans and like some other sea turtles are considered endangered species.

Man is the predator which poses the greatest threat to their survival.Find out more about the Green Sea Turtle over at Wikipedia »

See what you can find...

Aparna

please be specific. you have not given enough information which could help the students to make a project file on endangered species.please give the name of the place where they exists.

Robbi

you are absolutely right. What a horrid oversight.

I will be glad to research that for you and add it to the file in the next day or so.

There are many more endangered animals coming in the next few weeks from the red list.

I will make sure that we include areas and habitat on each of them.

Thanks for your suggestion.

Nunu

You’ve done great research! I love LOVE sea turtles and i just adopted my first sea turtle last sept.! it’s a good way to donate to conserve these ancient creatures!

guai guai

Great article!Thank you!

Lili

Poor sea turtles! They are endangered and im sorry for them i really want a pet sea turtles. Great article. Remember SAVE THE SEA TURTLE!

Taylor

I feel so bad for these sea turtles! Stop thinking about youself and help the sea turtles. I love sea turtles…. SAVE THE SEA TURTLES!!!

Nicole

I am obsessed with green sea turtles and they need to be saved or we may have over population of fish they are also very important to our habitat.

Brett Bennet

SAVE THESE POOR CREATURES FROM BECOMING EXTINCT. WE NEED TO TAKE A STAND. IF WE DON’T, IN A TWINKLE OF AN EYE ALL THE ANIMALS WILL BE GONE OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

nicko

hey i love the photo of the ‘green sea turtle’ at the top of the page. do you know where the photo was sourced? or have any contact details of the photographer? i am an artist and would love to draw it. i definitly dont want to breach any copyright issues if i can avoid doing so

any help on this would be much appreciated:)

nicko

randki sex zone

Your blog is very interesting, i have bookmarked your site for future referrence :)

emily

this is so sad i have also adopted a sea turtle they are so cute i dont want themto be extinct or evan endangered poor sea turtles!!!!!!!

sofia

give more information like why are they endangered ?

delandra

i try 2 help them. i am do a report on the green sea turtles it is sad 2 do a animals that is endangered.

delandra

that so cute that u care so much bout these turtles

sklep wedkarski

Cool site, i will come back here, regards

Calum

Yes, but why is it endangered?

Jess

This traversty is happening all over the world the digging up of green turtle eggs to be eaten, on the little island of Bequia, St.vincent and the Grenadines is a turtle sanctury, where the eggs are taken from the beaches and protected until hatched then set to the seas where they belong, this all started when a turtle that was hurt was nursed back to health and set to freedom. Everyone of us can do something to the benefit of these beautiful creatures and all other wild animals.

BICK

Thanks 4 the help. Hope will include more species.

elvia

i know they are poor turtles aren’t they

airrenny

but how does it move around on land? im doing a science project and i just cant find that info on it. it was helpful though!

Rocky

Hi, im writing a report about the effects of climate change with regard to sea turtles and am finding it increasingly difficult to find information as to the major problems this causes sea turtles and what solutions there may be. Also I am looking how satellite tagging could help with the research of sea turtles and how it could help with preventing them becoming even more endangered. Do you think you could help me please?

natasha

Satellites, because of their purpose are very useful for research, like the effect of climate change on green sea turtles. By tracking the sea turtles, they see where they travel, therefore those studying it can make inferences on what effects them such as: human population, wastes, etc..

tad

Because only about 1 of teh many hatched lives. They are probably still living because when they are adults they have two enemies. Sharks and humans.

jai

i like sea turtles, so dont kill them

nikki

i love green sea turtles 2 death….i wish people wouldnt harm them lik they do……they are so cute wen they are jus born….tell ppl to stop huntin and killin them……PLLLLZZZZ!!!!!!!

nikki

i am with u plz dont kil em

matthew maddox

stop killing turtles!Sea turtles are our friends.Please read this:If you see a sea turtle do not try to help it will make it frightened they will also think you are trying to kill them but if the turtles are stuck then please help or if u see a predator coming after it Save them!

daisylilie13711

hey! Im doin a report on green sea turtles and thy r soooo cute! its sooo sad tht thy r endangered! tell us more about how and why they r endangered and what we can do to help! :) thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

blah

you don’t say when the green sea turtle became classified endangered. Duh….